Software Development Engineer Interview Experience - India
August 1, 2017
Negative ExperienceNo Offer
Process
Initially, the job posting was titled "Backend Developer, Open Source at Booking.com," and the job description never mentioned a Perl programming requirement as a must.
For the first round, I was given a HackerRank coding challenge. I was told that I cleared the challenge and was arranged for a telephonic interview with HR to discuss the role. During the telephonic, they discussed my experience and also informed me about the work culture at Booking.com.
Then, after two days, I received an email stating that I was not selected for further interview rounds because I don't have Perl programming experience. I was completely surprised by the outcome.
I have a few questions for them:
- Was my CV not enough to know that I have no Perl development experience?
- Why was I invited to take a coding test, and why were you told that I cleared it?
Please have professionalism and, most importantly, common sense. Have clarity on job requirements. Please do not waste others' time like this.
Questions
Nothing, as there was no technical interview itself.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Booking.com Software Development Engineer role in India.
Success Rate
0%
Pass Rate
Booking.com's interview process for their Software Development Engineer roles in India is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive0%
Neutral0%
Negative100%
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Booking.com's Software Development Engineer interview process in India.
Booking.com Work Experiences
1.0
Non-technical managers are ruining the company
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Amsterdam, Netherlands
February 16, 2018
Pros: Great relocation to Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a beautiful city; living with the Dutch is amazing!
Some developers are smart (they usually don't stick around, sadly).
Cons: The way I see it, there are those who work here and love it. There are those who hate it. It depends upon your core values and belief system. If you are an honest, hard-working developer, you won't like it here. If you are incompetent and can BS your way to non-technical managers about your "make-believe" technical difficulties, you'll love it.
I've seen coders who have hardly written 10 lines of code in a quarter, and these people have figured a way to game the system and get promoted.
My team lead manages a team of software developers but does not write a single line of code and never worked as a programmer. Why write clean code when you can slap 2000 lines of Perl and get it done? (About code reviews: if you review code, it's a sure shot way to get kicked out of the team).
Promotions are not done on the basis of who works hard but based on how much you suck up to your bosses. You cannot speak your mind out without the risk of retaliation.
If you read reviews on the internet, you'll hear people say they do monitoring, and that's something Booking does very well. Wrong!!
Some teams don't get enough volume of visitors/users to test edge cases on production. We pray things don't break when we release it.
Mid-management is completely incompetent. If you are thinking of moving from your third-world country, like how I did, please remember there are tons of great European tech companies that would value your engineering practices. Booking isn't one of them. Amsterdam is a great city, but working for Booking.com hurts your career.
3.0
Good place for work/life balance
Director of Engineering • Current Employee
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 17, 2025
Pros: Good work-life balance
Good salary
Good perks
Cons: No learning.
Lots of politics.
5.0
Growth, Balance, Under-engaged
Software Engineer II • Current Employee
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 11, 2025
Pros: Great work-life balance. People are interested in growth and learning, too. People take care of each other.
Cons: Could have been more engaging. Lot of people in the office, but not enough activities.
Tech stack is old, yes, but that's an opportunity, not a problem. The bar is still quite high, and you work with good engineers.
- 1.0Non-technical managers are ruining the companySoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeAmsterdam, NetherlandsFebruary 16, 2018Pros: Great relocation to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a beautiful city; living with the Dutch is amazing! Some developers are smart (they usually don't stick around, sadly).Cons: The way I see it, there are those who work here and love it. There are those who hate it. It depends upon your core values and belief system. If you are an honest, hard-working developer, you won't like it here. If you are incompetent and can BS your way to non-technical managers about your "make-believe" technical difficulties, you'll love it. I've seen coders who have hardly written 10 lines of code in a quarter, and these people have figured a way to game the system and get promoted. My team lead manages a team of software developers but does not write a single line of code and never worked as a programmer. Why write clean code when you can slap 2000 lines of Perl and get it done? (About code reviews: if you review code, it's a sure shot way to get kicked out of the team). Promotions are not done on the basis of who works hard but based on how much you suck up to your bosses. You cannot speak your mind out without the risk of retaliation. If you read reviews on the internet, you'll hear people say they do monitoring, and that's something Booking does very well. Wrong!! Some teams don't get enough volume of visitors/users to test edge cases on production. We pray things don't break when we release it. Mid-management is completely incompetent. If you are thinking of moving from your third-world country, like how I did, please remember there are tons of great European tech companies that would value your engineering practices. Booking isn't one of them. Amsterdam is a great city, but working for Booking.com hurts your career.
- 3.0Good place for work/life balanceDirector of Engineering • Current EmployeeAmsterdam, NetherlandsNovember 17, 2025Pros: Good work-life balance Good salary Good perksCons: No learning. Lots of politics.
- 5.0Growth, Balance, Under-engagedSoftware Engineer II • Current EmployeeAmsterdam, NetherlandsNovember 11, 2025Pros: Great work-life balance. People are interested in growth and learning, too. People take care of each other.Cons: Could have been more engaging. Lot of people in the office, but not enough activities. Tech stack is old, yes, but that's an opportunity, not a problem. The bar is still quite high, and you work with good engineers.
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